'I would say this golf course, as long as we keep playing here, I'll keep coming back,' said Puerto Rico winner George McNeill.

World No. 2 Luke Donald summed the appeal: the Copperhead Course is a thinking man's course.

'You really have to have good course management around here,' he said Wednesday. 'A lot of placing of the tee shot rather than just standing up and hitting away. There's a lot of tactical stuff involved with this course.'

The gauntlet was laid down in 1970 by designer Larry Packard who, at 99 years old, still lives in the area.

'You watch the scores. Two-thirds, and these are the best players, they can't break par in four days. That means something,' Packard said this week, according to Patch.com.

The future of Tampa's PGA Tour stop is in jeopardy as eyewear maker Transitions will not renew as sponsor. Organizers will need to find a fifth title sponsor since 2002 to keep the event in its prime March date. Tampa-based Shriners Hospitals was approached for the spot last year but declined, opting to remain in Las Vegas.